1-8.
What do I say to that?
BFD.
How can I say that?
The peripherals.
Fans are acting like this team is heading in the wrong direction because they started 6-3 last season and started 2010 1-8.
Is this team really worse than the 2009 version? Absolutely not. The reasons outlined in this post still apply. The starting staff is better, the overall talent on offense is better, there is help on the way, and soon, from the farm system.
Does anybody remember the stretch over April/May 2009 when the O's went 3-14? 3-14! Better or worse than this stretch we're watching?
Get a grip. Just because this stretch starts the season makes it no worse. Growing pains. We'll have 'em.
And quit bringing up 1988. Let Grandpa Blogger tell you something. This ain't 1988. I lived through 1988! It was my baseball Vietnam!
Through the first 9 games of this season, Baltimore has been outscored 49-27. In 1988, they were outscored 61-14! And heartbreaking losses? The loss in the Brian Matusz game the other night pales in comparison to watching Mike Boddicker throw a complete game and give up only one run (while striking out 10 and walking none by the way) only to lose 4-3 to the Royals! Eddie Murray and Billy Ripken made the errors to give up the unearned runs! Or how about watching Mike Morgan throw 9 shutout innings only to lose 1-0 to Cleveland in 11? And you're going to punk out over a 1-8 streak? Don't come to me for compassion! Man up or go get your pink Red Sox hat and join The Nation! Quit 'yer whining!
1988...come back to reality.
Anyway, around the Blog-O-Sphere...
Roar From 34 says it all in the title to this post: O's Fans Should Be Waving Rally Towels, Not White Flags
Dempsey's Army raises our standard with you Matt!
Chris at Baltimore Sports Life looks in great detail at the 1-8 streak
Dave Mc of Weaver's Tantrum ponders the arguments for and against a managerial change.
The Eutaw Street Hooligans offer a dose of calm in the face of Oriole fan panic
Camden Crazies goes deep into the numbers and finds that while things are bad, they aren't as bad as you think..
Come be a fan of young right-handed pithcer Brad Bergesen's facebook fan page at URL: http://www.facebook.com/brad.bergesen
ReplyDeleteno first baseman
ReplyDeleteno closer
no second baseman
journeymen at short and 3rd
two left fielders that, if you could combine them minus injuries that are going to be chronic, would make one decent left fielder
no dh
no fan support
manager probably on life support.
owner disliked around game.
yeah. we're fine.
no first baseman - sure
ReplyDeleteno closer - not true
no second baseman - temporary condition
journeymen at short and 3rd - stellar defender at short, solid veteran at third. Not without flaws but fine.
two left fielders that, if you could combine them minus injuries that are going to be chronic, would make one decent left fielder - I think the upside is better than you paint it
no dh - untrue
no fan support - understandable
manager probably on life support. - maybe but managers are overrated
owner disliked around game. - don't care
yeah. we're fine. - It's hard to see on the surface butt he organization is in the best shape it been in for more than a decade.
Be careful, Heath, lest you be branded an Orioles apologist. No one cares for optimism. (Note the sarcasm.)
ReplyDeleteThis team is better than its record. Much better. You're exactly right that the organization is in the best shape that it's been for more than a decade.
I absolutely hated watching Brian Matusz get pinned with a loss against the Rays, but to focus on the outcome alone is to obscure the fact that the guy was masterful for seven innings. Give him a couple of months, and he's finishing that game and earning a very impressive win against a solid ball club.
The most ridiculous thing I've seen in recent days is a Kevin Cowherd column suggesting that MacPhail is suddenly on the hot seat. The guy has taken a farm system that was in absolute shambles and filled it with up-and-coming talent. Just look at the number of young arms the O's now have. And this comes after he was dealt one of the worst hands possible.
I want to see results as much as anyone, and the early slide is definitely discouraging. How could it not be? But many of the pieces are falling into place. Once the rest do, fans will see the results they want.
This is not the same team of aging free agents that took the field in Baltimore in the early part of this decade. If anyone cares to make a comparison, it should be encouraging to see how much better shape the O's are in now than they were then.
Had the MacPhail plan been in place in 1998 or 1999 there's no way the O's would have 12 straight losing seasons. Just think what he could've gotten at the trade deadline back then.
The O's took a gamble in 1996 to not trade their aging name players because "it wasn't fair to the fans who paid money to see a competitive outfit." That gamble paid off in the form of a Wild Card berth and an exciting Wire-to-Wire run. But it was by no means a blueprint for the future. It was a blueprint for failure.
The losing may feel like the same old thing, but times have definitely changed in Baltimore.
the starting five is a real bright spot.
ReplyDeleteand offense is easier to find than pitching, fwiw.
but this team right now is a AAA concoction at best. a lot of that has to do with four key injuries.
who's our DH? don't even say Luke.
Yes. Luke. Although nobody is hitting worth a damn right now.
ReplyDeleteI have detailed why I like Luke before. I like my cleanup hitter to hit the ball as far from home plate as possible so that the runners on base can run as far as possible before the outfielders throw it home. Silly me. :-)